Rise From the Ashes (FT Next Gen)
by KitsuneSOUL 7th Dragonslayer
Summary: Calypso has fled her old home and joined Fairy Tail. She now has a safe home, a real family, and has made friends with dragonslayers Soren and Nisha. But the past has a way of catching up with you. As the GMG swiftly approaches, and evil lurks slowly, Calypso has to make a decision: Trust her new family and accept her past, or watch as her entire world crumbles to bits.
1. Chapter 1: Escape

_**Hi everyone! This is Kit again with a new story! Before I get into it, I would like to clarify that A Moon-Marked Wolf is officially discontinued. I'm sorry for anyone who enjoyed it, but I just lost inspiration and motivation for it, and I just couldn't think of a reason to continue it if I didn't enjoy writing it. So I'm sorry about that, and I hope you'll enjoy my new story! ^^ Also, this IS a FT Next Gen story, just to let you know, so the characters from the original FT series are of course NOT mine. I don't own Fairy Tail at all, I only own the OCs, such as Soren, Calypso, etc. The amazing Hiro Mashima is the creator, so go give him some love! Anyway, enough rambling, enjoy the story, and leave a favourite and/or review if you liked it!**_

 _"Do fairies really exist, Mom?"_

 _She had asked her mother that question so many times, but her mother had only smiled and said that she didn't know. But today was different. The past couple of days, her mother had been stressed out, always arguing with Calypso's father and brother. The scientists wouldn't take orders from her anymore, and she was forbidden to leave her home. Calypso was nervous. Did her mother do something wrong? Were they going to banish her? She had questioned her mother about that many times, but Mother would only reassure her that she wasn't going anywhere, and that Calypso's father was extremely busy and was a bit short-tempered. But the young girl could feel, in her heart, that her mother was bluffing. She could see it in her eyes. Once calm and blue as the sea, they were now dilated and darted around, like an animal being hunted by a predator. Calypso felt protective of her mother and wished she could do something to help her._

 _"Well, my dear, I don't know for sure if fairies exist or not, but I know some people that might know."_

 _"Really? Who are they?"_

 _Her mother leaned in with a big gentle smile, the one Calypso had grown to love so much. "They're another wizard guild, one full of kind and strong people with big hearts. Ones that will die to protect their friends and family." At this her mother's eyes clouded over with grief. "The complete opposites of our guild."_

 _She put her head in her hands. Calypso slipped into her mother's grasp and hugged her. "Don't worry! I'll protect you from Daddy and the other mean people! Someday I'll be big and strong and we'll go live with the fairies and we'll be safe from the bad monsters!" Her mother laughed. "You do that, my little butterfly."_

 _ **Three days later...**_

 _"Mommy? What's going on?"_

 _"Not now, Calypso. This is important."_

 _Her mother was stuffing things into a sack at lightning speed, a stressed and nervous tone in her voice. Calypso frowned. "Is it Daddy? Is he angry again?" Her mother bent down and hugged her tightly. "Oh, it's not Daddy. It's just a promise I made so long ago." She grabbed several pictures off of a high shelf and threw them on the ground. Calypso bent down and picked them up. "These are pictures of big sis! You said never to remove them!" Her mother patted her head. "A while ago, I would have said to never touch them. Things have changed, my dear precious flower. Your Daddy and brother need me to leave. I can't disobey them." Calypso's mouth trembled and tears began to spill from her eyes. "You said you'd be with me forever! You'd come with me to find the fairies!" Her mother froze. For a second Calypso thought she had passed out, until she went down on one knee and wrapped her up in the biggest, warmest hug Calypso ever had. "I'm sorry, my dear, I can't do that now. But you," she looked her directly in the eyes, "You, Calypso, are a strong, beautiful, clever, and passionate person. If anybody can find the fairies without my help, it's you."_

 _Tears began to fall again from the young girl's eyes. "But where will I look?" she sobbed. "I don't know where to go to find them!" Her mother smiled. "Oh, I don't think they'll be that hard to find. Did you know that they defeated Sabertooth and won the Grand Magic Games after being dead last for seven years?" Calypso's eyes widened. "No way..." she gasped in awe. "They're that strong?" Her mother nodded. "They are, sweetie. I saw them win with my own two eyes. They were amazing! No one could beat them! And even when it looked like they were about to lose, they still got up and fought with all their might! And..." she trailed off with a twinkle in her eye "...I heard that some of them can even... fly."_

 _By now the young girl's eyes were as wide as lacrimas. "Are they really that special?"_

 _"They sure are! So when you're out looking for them and don't know where to go, just ask anybody where to find Fairy Tail. They'll know what you're talking about!"_

 _Calypso's eyes shone. "When can I go? Can you and me go right now? I can't wait for the two of us to find them!" Her mother smiled sadly. "I'm afraid I won't be able to go with you, young one. I have to leave soon." The young girl seemed to droop like a flower. Then she perked up. "Then when you're back from your journey, can we go?"_

 _Her mother blinked for a second, then laughed. "Of course, young one. When you are ready to leave for your search, I will guide you through the first part of your journey. But once I have, the rest of the road is up to you. Do you think you're strong enough to make the journey alone?"_

 _Calypso puffed out her chest and did a little dance similar to a rooster. "I'm strong! I can do it! Besides," she turned to her mother. "I'll have you right by my side all the way!" Her mother smiled._

 _There was a loud rap at the door. Calypso turned around to see the door flung open, and her brother walked in, accompanied by one of the many scientists._

 _She shivered. Her brother, Cronos, used to be funny and nice. Until the day he was taken to the labs, to "endure the Dragon Force Test", one of the scientists had told her. her mother hadn't let her watch it, but she had heard screams and yells of pain from the lab. When her brother had walked out, he'd looked hollow and emptied out. The next day when she had asked him to play with her, he had swatted her aside and said that he had better things to do. As the days turned to months, he became increasingly cruel and cold, eventually so much that her mother had forbidden her to go near him._

 _Now, the same person was standing right over Calypso and her mother, with the disdainful look of someone who had found a nasty surprise on the heel of his shoe._

 _"Hello... mother." He drawled. "And Calypso... you're much bigger then when I last saw you." He grinned, showing his sharp teeth. Calypso yelped and hid behind her mother. "Now now, that's rude. Hiding from your own brother." He reached one hand over to pat her, but her mother slapped the hand away._

 _"Don't. touch. her."_

 _Cronos stared at his mother in surprise. The scientist behind him brought out a metal stick with a yellow orb on the end, sizzling lightning. The hairs on the back of Calypso's neck stood up._

 _His brother stared at her for a bit longer, then withdrew his hand and laughed. "I should have known. Anyway, the lab is ready. let's go."_

 _Her mother began to get up, but Calypso grabbed the hem of her dress and hung on tight. Cronos stared at her for a second, then glared at her mother. "Make it quick." She nodded._

 _Calypso stared at her mother, tears beginning to gather in her eyes again. "I don't want you to leave! What about us looking for the fairies?" Her mother smiled painfully. "Remember what I said, about me guiding you when your journey began? Well, I need to go on my own journey for a bit. But when I come back, I'll light some of the way for you."_

 _Calypso nodded, tears spilling from her eyes._

 _"Just remember, Calypso. There is always good in this world, No matter how far away from your home or your friends you are, you are never alone. The fairies will teach you that."_

 _She wrapped Calypso in one more warm, protective hug, then stood up and followed Cronos and the scientist out of the room and towards the lab. The same lab that transformed Cronos, Calypso realized with a jolt. She wanted so desperately to follow her mother, to reassure her that everything would be okay, but she couldn't. Her mouth trembled. She opened it, cupped her hands, and called to her mother._

 _"Do you promise to guide me to the fairies?!"_

 _Her mother turned around one last time, smiled through her tears, and whispered so Cronos and the scientist couldn't hear._

 ** _"I Promise."_**

 ** _..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _That was ten years ago._**

 ** _My mother never returned to guide me._**

 ** _Today was the day I was supposed to die and join her._**

 ** _But I didn't._**

 ** _Instead, the fairies rescued me._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _..._**

 ** _..._**

"SHE WENT THAT WAY!"

"FIND HER!"

Calypso stumbled through the hallway, clutching the deep scratch in her arm from where she had cut out the life-support cord. Red lights were flashing everywhere. She could hear the scientists and guards shouting orders and stumbling over each other. Above all the chaos, Cronos' voice sounded over the intercom.

 **"Grab your weapons, you useless buffoons! Catch her!"**

Calypso smiled as a guard pulled out a lethal-looking weapon similar to a harpoon and aimed it at her. The moment he pulled the trigger, a bundle of slimy seaweed shot out in front of them. The guards ahead slipped and stumbled on it. Most were unable to keep their balance, and went flying, simultaneously taking out any guards ahead of them. Calypso smirked. She had had to go swimming through the lab's nearby quagmire for two hours to collect all of the seaweed, but it had been worth it.

Looking up, she spotted a vent in the ceiling. Vaulting upward off the wall she kicked out the frame and swung into the vent system. The shouting and confusion down below told her that the guards hadn't noticed her quick escape. _I guess all those gymnastics/ martial arts lessons you had me take weren't so useless at all, huh big bro?_

Cronos' voice erupted on the intercom again. **"Who had the smart idea to let her out of her cell, huh? Who was it?"** There was a call in the background, some whispering, and a couple times Cronos exclaimed **"What? I gave the order?"** and **"Wait, really? Oooooh... riiiiiiight..."** before his voice (a bit more flustered then usual) came on again. **"New orders, troops! Father has decided Subject #115 has no more use for us anymore, and she is to be killed on sight."**

 _OOOOooooh crap._

Calypso crawled through the vent system as fast as she could. _Has no more use to them? I'm useful! Who cleans out the exceed's cages, huh? Who wipes up every speck of dust that you seem to "find" on the ground?_

She continued through the vents till she came upon another set of bars. Quickly banging them open, she observed the room she had entered. _Aw crap. Speak of the devil..._

She had landed in the Exceed Corral.

 _...And the devil will appear._

She loved the exceeds, but she would've loved them even more before the experiments.

Most of the exceeds here were grotesquely mutated due to the experiments they had endured. Some had had their usually feathery wings replaced with scaly dragon-like ones, while some had scaly skin instead of fur. Some were so mutated they didn't even look like talking and flying cats. Hell, some couldn't even TALK or FLY anymore.

What hurt her the most was the fact that the one behind a good swab of the experiments was her brother, Cronos. He and the scientists were extremely curious about the effects Dragon Force Essence could have on living beings that weren't Dragonslayers. They had tested it on anything they could get their hands on: kidnapped children from nearby villages, animals caught in bear traps around the lab forest, scientists and soldiers in the guild that acted disloyal, they had even used it on her older sister. Calypso had found out about the true cause of her sister Rea's death when her brother had threatened to test the Essence on her. She had only been eight years old when she accidentally broke a jar full of lab rats that were to be mutated with the Essence. The scientists hadn't been able to retrieve the rats after they escaped. Her brother had slapped her and yelled a bunch of nasty words. When he walked away, leaving her crying on the ground, he turned around and spoke in a soft and deadly voice: "If you ever do something like that again, you'll be the next subject for the test, like your foolish _mother_ and _sister_." She had been even more scared of him ever since.

Calypso wound her way past a giant scratching post that looked like it was a least three decades old. She grimaced as she stepped carefully around the piles of rotten food scraps, exceed waste, and other disgusting items that lay on the floor. The stench in here was awful. Sometimes she wondered if it would've been better if the exceeds had died during the experiment instead of being forced into these poor conditions to be studied like a new species. Most of the cats seemed to have given up and lay trembling in their cages, all scaly and bony-looking. Others fought viciously with each other for whatever food was actually edible. She winced as she slipped past a group of snarling and hissing cats that were fighting over an old moldy chicken bone. There was a crunch, a screech, and it was all over for one of the fighters. The other exceeds fell upon the bone, clawing and scratching each other for the biggest bit.

One exceed broke away from the others and flapped-hopped over to her with giant dragon wings that were two times too big for his body. Calypso's eyes lit up as she recognized him.

"Aaron!"

The exceed hopped into her arms. "Calypso!" he squeaked through several oversized dragon fangs. "You still moving!"

Calypso smiled. The poor exceed had been captured from his tribe and put through the experiments when he was very young. He had never been taught how to speak by anybody until he was two years old. Therefor, he had terrible pronounciation. But she loved him anyway.

"Are we gonna find berries today?"

"No Aaron, my brother is after me. We need to leave here now."

Aaron turned to the rest of the exceeds. "But... my tribe..."

"We can't do anything for them now, Aaron. If we tried to rescue all of them, they'd slow us down."

Aaron nodded sadly. Calypso pulled out the emergency exit key for the exceed corral out of it's hiding place. The key had been put there in case an unlucky scientist had gotten stuck in the corral without a way to get out. She was glad that it was still here.

Unlocking the door, she and the mutated exceed jumped out of the corral and ran down a brightly lit hallway. _If my memorization of the map is correct, we should be able to find the exit somewhere around here..._

A few minutes later, the main exit door came into view, and a rush of excitement passed through her. She was actually going to make it! She turned to her exceed.

"Aaro-"

A blast of magic shot through the air and struck the exceed. Deep red blood flew through the air as Aaron fell from the air.

Time slowed.

Aaron hit the ground with a thump that seemed to echo through Calypso's soul and being. She froze in her tracks as she looked up to see her brother standing there in the hallway, holding up a vibrating metal staff. Her heart jumped in her throat.

Aaron raised his head weakly as the staff began to charge up again. "Go..." he gasped. Calypso felt the tears begin to gather in her eyes.

"Run..." Aaron gasped again. This time Calypso obliged. Her feet took on a mind their own and began to run. She was out the door and into the woods before she knew it.

Behind her, guards shouted to the lookouts. _Craaaap._ She hadn't planned how she was going to get around the stationed outdoor guards. She had just hoped that she didn't get caught.

One of the sentries raised a weapon at her. A static seemed to fill the air...

All of a sudden, the guard dropped his weapon with a cry of pain. Several grey and brown birds flew from the forest and began pecking and scratching at his face. The guard threw his weapon away and ran back towards the building, closely pursued by several other guards with their own personal swarms.

Calypso kept on running. Soon she was deep in the forest with no idea how far away she was from the lab. Her wound was throbbing painfully. _I should have thought of bandaging it._

Suddenly, a rustle came from the trees. Calypso took on a protective stance. She had hoped she didn't have to use her magic, but...

A flash of blue zipped out from the bushes. With a jolt, she realized it was a bluebird, her mother's favourite animal. A wave of nostalgia passed over her as she realized that the bird had the same colour of feathers as her mother's eyes.

 _ **When you are ready to leave for your search, I will guide you through the first part of your journey.**_

 _Thank you, mother._ she thought. _You kept your promise all along._

A smile beamed on her face as she set out through the woods with the blue bird on her shoulder.

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

She wasn't going to make it.

It had been three days since she had escaped, and Calypso was already regretting her decision.

Her wound had become festered and infected, and it stung when she moved in a certain way. she hadn't been able to find food at all, and the only water she had drunken was water from a nasty old lake.

No scientists had shown up to take her back, so she assumed they had given up. The bluebird twittered and flew around her in a worried way. It pecked her cheek lightly and brought up a berry in it's beak. With trembling hands, Calypso grabbed the berry and swallowed it. The sweet, tangy taste lingered before being instantly replaced with a wave of nausea. With a groan, she fell to the ground and curled up in a ball, waiting for it to end. The bird twittered and flew around her, as if urging her to get up.

"I... I'm sorry, mom. I'm not strong enough."

The bird sang a beautiful song as Calypso drifted off into a restless sleep. Once she was sure the young girl had passed out, the bird flew off into the forest.

About an hour later, it returned. But not alone.

"Why does this bird- OW! Don't peck me!"

"I dunno. But we've got to- OW! Stop it!"

"Dad's gonna be angry at us for- OW! Being late- OW! Watch it!"

"I swear, I'm gonna frickin kill this- OW!"

"Language, Nisha. That's what Mom would- OW! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM, YOU DUMB BIRD?!"

Following the bird were two young wizards, about the same age as Calypso. When they saw her, they knelt down to get a better look.

"Who is she?"

"Beats me, she's probably just random per- OW! Let's leave her h- OWWW! THAT HURTS!"

The bird gave them one more peck before landing on a branch to observe what was happening. The boy stared at Calypso carefully, before lifting up her arm and looking at her wound. An awful stench rose in the air. "Hey Nisha? She's pretty badly hurt. We should probably take her to Wendy and Miss Porlyusica."

"Soren, have you lost your mind? Remember the last time we went to Porlyusica because you scratched your elbow?"

The two of them shuddered.

"Well, look at this wound. She won't survive for another week with that there. Porlyusica is sure to help. And if not, we can talk to Wendy. there's no way Wendy will refuse to help."

The boy (apparently called Soren) lifted Calypso onto his back when she let out a moan. The wound on her shoulder pulsed and bled. The girl (Nisha, was it?) groaned. "Oh, boy. Soren, put her down. We have to seal the wound." She lifted up her hand and placed it carefully on the infection. With a bright light, the girl's hand lit up in flames. Calypso shrieked as the wound burned. "Hold her down!" The boy grabbed Calypso's arms and pushed her to the ground as she struggled to break free from their grasp, screaming like she was being torn apart. The acrid stench of burning flesh rose in the air, and the boy choked a bit before turning around to throw up over his shoulder. The girl rolled her eyes at her brother.

After five painfully long minutes, the wound had been sealed closed. The girl sighed. "Good. now let's go."

The boy picked up Calypso and swung her on his back again, and he and his sister walked out of the clearing and in the general direction of a nearby city.

"Say Nisha, I know she's out cold right now, but what do we do if she wakes up? She doesn't now us so..."

"Ah, don't stress about it, Soren! I'd simply knock her out cold again!"

' You know, Mom's right: you DO act that most like Dad; violence first, ask questions later..."

As the two disappeared from sight, the bird rustled her feathers, squashing any doubt. She knew she'd made the right choice. Calypso would be well-sheltered from the lab and her guild. She knew it.

She knew she'd made the right choice from the moment she'd seen the marks on the sibling's shoulders.

The marks of a Fairy Tail wizard.

The bird took wing and flew off into the forest, never to be seen again.

 _When you are ready to leave on your search, I will guide you through the first part of your journey. But once I have, the rest of the road is up to you._

 _But you won't take that road alone... my little butterfly._

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **So how was that for a first chapter? Was it good? Was the intro too long? Was it too confusing? Let me know by leaving a review, and if you liked the chapter and/or story, leave a follow and maybe a like...? Please? Anyway, I hope you have a good day, and sorry for being inactive for so long!**

 **-KitsuneSOUL has left the stage!**


	2. Chapter 2: Shelter I think?

**Hi everybody! I'm back with a new chapter! I'm so sorry it took this long to get a new chapter out, but I, um, may have gotten caught up in the manga/anime series Bleach... and I'm a great procrastinator. So I'm sorry that this took awhile! I don't exactly have a firm upload schedule yet, but it may be something like once every one-two weeks or so. It depends on if I'm busy or not.**

 **On a more serious note, if you are in Florida, Mexico, or near any of the current disaster zones, I hope that you are all safe and remain unhurt! Hopefully it will all be over soon!**

 **Again, thank you for your patience, and onto the next chapter!**

The sounds of a babbling brook trickled down the hill. Above, several birds chirped happily, ignoring the mages below them. It felt so pristine, so pure, so... so...

 _So wrong._

Calypso shot up. "Where am I?" Glancing around, she furiously observed her surroundings. A small pond lay a couple feet ahead, with a couple of ducks in it. Above, a canopy of thick vines and branches shaded her, with small sunbeams streaming through the gaps. Several mossy rocks loomed out of the ground, each one the perfect size of a dragon egg. The grass was lush and green, and beautiful wildflowers sprouted in small patches every couple feet.

She blinked. This couldn't be near the lab. It was too untouched! Plant growth near the lab was scarce, except for the pine trees. But wildflowers never sprouted. Perhaps she was in the lab's plant centre. The scientists gathered many specimens to study for whatever purposes. She had never seen the centre itself, but she would always imagine it as a pristine, calm place. This place, however, was much too calm. She didn't like it. She half-expected a scientist or guard to jump out from behind the rock and capture her. But if this wasn't the lab, then where...?

Calypso plucked a beautiful stalk of lavender from the ground. She marvelled at it's pale purple shading and sweet fragrance. "Am I... in heaven?"

"Soren, she's talking to a flower. Is that normal?"

The young mage practically jumped out of her skin. Behind her, sitting on a mossy log, was a young girl that looked about her age. She wore light grey shorts and a tight black shirt with a white collar. But what shocked Calypso the most was her hair. It was like a mix of orange and pink. Sherbert? Who knew? Her words of surprise caught in her throat. Who was this girl? Was she aggressive? Did she plan to help Calypso or kill her? Her mind was going at a million miles a minute. Already she was plotting three available escape routes, plus two backups for good measure. Oh, and a diversionary tactic if she needed it.

The girl leaned forward and observed her closely. Calypso leaned away. The girl blinked and then laughed. "Don't worry! I won't hurt you!" When Calypso didn't respond, she added "Me and my brother found you lying in the woods, with a giant infection in your shoulder. We dragged you over here to get you patched up." Calypso still felt uneasy about this. She smiled weakly. "Well, um, thank you for the aid... um..."

"Nisha."

"Thank you for the aid, Nisha, but I really have to get going... I'm looking for something extremely important and I... have no time to lose!" She swung her arm weakly. _Arrrgh, this is going SOO well... looking for something? That's too vague! She'll start asking nosy questions soon enough. I have to get out of here before it gets awkward..._

She rose to her feet ready to get the heck out of here. But the moment she stood up, a wave of nausea passed over her, and her shoulder throbbed like it was about to fall off. She moaned and fell forward onto the grass. Nisha casually picked some dirt out from behind her nails. "I tried to warn you, but your arm will make moving around quickly quite difficult. It's safer for you if you stay here and let us help you." Calypso gritted her teeth. _This is just great. The last thing I want is to get stuck with her. And i don't recall her warning me about anything!_

Nisha seemed to be pleased with the condition of her nails, so she turned around and glanced at the trees. "Soren! Have you established a contact yet?"

A boy jumped down from the canopy, landing right between the two of them and scaring the living heck out of Calypso. He was holding a small orb. A communication lacrima, she realized. The boy put in in his pocket and stared at his sister. "I managed to find a signal and got contact with dad. He yelled at me for two minutes about being late for practice and says he'll be over in a bit with Wendy and Steele." Nisha raised an eyebrow. "That's what took you so long?" The boy glared at her. "You know that when Dad gets angry, it's impossible to get a word in until he finishes. I managed to convince him that is was important and that someone was hurt, so he says he'll get here as soon as he can." Nisha sighed. "Good. We'll be able get back to Porlyusica's faster that way. It'll be easier then lugging a dead weight around." Amid all of her nervousness and confusion, Calypso felt a spark of indignity. _I'm not a dead weight! I'm a respectable size for girls my age!_

The boy turned around to look at Calypso. He smiled. "Don't worry. We're taking you to see Porlyusica, our healer. She'll get you patched up." He jumped up onto a tree branch and began observing the distance ahead of them. She and Nisha were all alone now. The girl stared at her. "By the way, what's your name? I've told you mine." Calypso blinked. "Ca-Calypso." Nisha smiled. "Calypso, huh? That's a beautiful name, you know."

Calypso stared at her in confusion. No one had ever told her that before. She was usually known in the labs as a nobody, or Test Subject Number Insert-Something-Here. But no one, except for her mother, had ever acknowledged her by her full name. It felt nice, like a bright flame was warming her up from the inside out.

A crash sounded above her, and she nearly jumped out of her skin for a third time. The boy (Soren?) jumped down from the tree. "Dad sent a signal! He must be nearby!" Calypso gulped. "Your... father?" Soren turned around and smiled. "Don't worry, he's very kind. He'll be able to help you!" When she didn't look convinced, Nisha added "You can't judge a book by it's cover! You know," she continued, getting up and standing beside Soren "Me and Soren are actually twins! We sure don't look alive, huh?"

Calypso mentally compared the two: Nisha was tough, excitable, and easygoing. Soren was meeker, slightly smaller, and much more gentle then his sister. On top of that, he had light-ish dirty blonde hair, while his sister's hair was a shocking orange-pink. For twins, they sure seemed quite the opposites!

She was about to speak her conclusion aloud when what seemed to be a fiery missile shot out of the bushes. She, Soren and Nisha all shouted mixed words of surprise in unison as it crashed into the log Soren and Nisha had been sitting on. Splinters of the trunk went flying, and Calypso covered her head. Through all the chaos, she heard a yell. Panic spun through her. Was it the lab goons? Had they come to capture her and take her back to her brother?

When the smoke cleared, Calypso saw the attacker: not a lab soldier, but what appeared to be a young man in his late twenties. What came as a shock was the fact that his hair was a bright pink, almost the same shade as Nisha's hair, maybe a little lighter? He gave a giant laugh at the pile of splintered remains as a figure rose from the wreckage. "Okay, you got me, dad." A very battered and fried Soren moaned weakly. The man laughed. "Don't feel too bad, Soren. You just need to work on your reflexes, that's all. Now, where's that sister of yours hiding?"

He walked around on tiptoe before freezing. Looking up, Calypso saw Nisha perched in the foliage of a tree like a monkey. Their father snickered before jumping a shocking ten feet in the air and BLASTING A FREAKING BALL OF FIRE FROM HIS MOUTH? She stared in awe as Nisha fell from the tree and landed in the pond. The ducks quacked indignantly and scattered. The man fell down and landed on a dragon-egg rock, smiling like had won a lottery. "I beat you all again!" He called, grinning. "No fair!" Soren shouted. "Surprise attacks don't count!" their father laughed. "I don't think Sabertooth or Mermaid Heel would play fairly in battle! You have to learn to expect attacks at all times!" he turned and saw Calypso, who's mouth was wide open like a goldfish. "Oh, is this the person you found?" he leaned in as if to get a better look, and Calypso squirmed away nervously. Soren appeared behind him and pulled him off her. "Dad, don't scare her. She got injured somehow and needs healing." Their father turned and stared at the inflamed wound on her shoulder. "Ouch, you're right. Porlyusica will have to heal that, but I think Wendy can check it out first."

"I'm here!" a young voice squealed. A girl, maybe three or four years younger then Soren's father came out of the bushes. She had dark blue hair and brown eyes, and a very kind composure. Behind her were two- exceeds? _I guess it makes sense. The lab_ _had plenty of exceeds, so there must be more of their kind in the world._ A small spark of grief wormed it's way into her heart as she remembered Aaron, the bright little cat who'd given his life to help her escape. She felt a lump grow in her throat. _No. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry._

Her train of thought was interrupted by a warm glow. Blinking, she realized the woman who'd followed Soren and Nisha's father was holding her hand to the wound. It felt warm, like a pillow. The woman smiled. "It's okay. I'm mending the flesh around the wound so that it doesn't spread. You'll still need to get treated though."

When she was done, Calypso stared at her arm. It was still infected, but it didn't hurt as much to move it, and it looked less red. She turned to her helpers. "Th-thank you." she stammered. The two mages smiled. "Don't mention it. Hey your name's Calypso, right?" The pink-haired one asked. She blinked. 'Y-yes." He smiled nice to meet you! My name's Natsu. Natsu Dragneel." "And I'm Wendy Marvell." the mage beside him said with a smile. "We're Fairy Tail Wizards! Nice to meet you!"

 **So how was that? Was Natsu too OOC? Did Soren and Nisha get a good introduction? Let me know what you think by leaving a review! And if you want to see artwork, WIPs, and spoilers for upcoming chapters, check out my extremely outdated Youtube channel ( KitsuneSOUL) my twitter ( DragonAlphaStar) or Deviantart! ( Dragonslayer-ETOILE) Links are in my profile bio! Thanks again for your support, sorry for the late update, and see you in the next chapter!**

 **-KitsuneSOUL**

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	3. Chapter 3: Blackouts or Flashbacks?

Calypso's mind froze. _Fairy Tail_ wizards? Her train of thought slowed steadily to a crawl. The people her mother said would protect her... the wizards that took down Zeref the black wizard himself... _were standing right in front of her?_

Next thing she knew, Wendy (?), the blue-haired woman, was wiping sweat off her brow. She smiled at Calypso. "You passed out when we got here. You were burning up, so we figured you needed to see a more experienced doctor then me." Her exceed floated around her head, frowning. "Don't put yourself down, child. We all know you're a very adept healer." Soren's father laughed. "You've got right, Carla. Wendy is one heck of a dragonslayer! _(Also I'm pretty sure she's old enough for you to stop calling her child, just saying...)_ "

While the two of them bickered, Wendy wrapped a bandage around Calypso's arm and gave her some water. "That should keep your fever down until we reach Porlyusica's. She'll give you further treatment there." Calypso nodded blankly. It was all still too much to take in. THE Fairy Tail wizards, standing right in front of her. _Well mother,_ _this is a surprise,_ she thought. _I've found the fairies. But now what?_

Soren and Nisha were talking among themselves in the corner of the clearing. She shifted her weight to hear them better. "...get your dad over here. We might be able to carry her over to Granny's." Who was she talking to? Wendy walked over with more water in a wooden bowl. "Are you okay?"

"Who're they talking to?"

Wendy smiled, though she looked a little sad. "Steele. He-" she corrected herself " _they're_ a good friend. They participate in Natsu's lessons sometimes."

Steele walked out of the shadows. He-or she?- was a tall, well-built person. He wore black pants and a grey shirt with black stripes. His hair was semi-long, and it covered most of his solemn, serious face. Around his neck was a necklace made of silver fang-like beads. His guild mark was on his neck, partially hidden by his hair When he spoke, it was a deep and soothing voice, like he was talking at someone's funeral. "My dad's on a three-day job with my mom. They won't be back for a while. And I'm supposed to be watching my sister. Please tell me you know where she is."

Nisha went slightly pale. "Well, I got Storm to watch her, so I'm sure she's somewhere."

"But didn't Storm go on a job in this region an hour ago?"

"Yeah, he went on a solo mission earlier. We met him while carrying her back here." Nisha jabbed a thumb at Calypso.

"But you just said it was a solo mission. Was she with him?"

"Ummmmm..."

Steele facepalmed.

Wendy got up and walked over to the two of them. "Don't worry, you two. We'll look for Gale on the way to Granny Porlyusica's. We'll definitely find her one way or another."

"We could use fish!" Proclaimed a blue exceed. "Everyone loves fish!"

A stabbing pain welled up in Calypso's gut. She barely had time to blink when an ear-piercing shriek filled her ears. She screamed in agony and fell on her side, nausea filling her stomach. A furious roar sounded somewhere, somehow echoing through her brain. Her head felt like it was ready to explode. Wendy and Natsu crowded around her, asking what was wrong. She tried to respond, but it was like someone had stolen her voice, she couldn't even breath. Suddenly a wave of black covered up Calypso's vision. The wizards were gone, and instead there stood a man with long greyish-white hair that flowed down to his waist. He was clothed in a long dark cloak, and his skin was like a light brownish colour. Light grey-blue marks were on his cheeks. She could feel an evil aura radiating from him, and yet his piercing eyes gave away no emotions except determination and grief. He lifted one hand, and a swirl of energy gathered in it. It was then that she noticed that one of his arms were missing.

The man extended his hand, like he was about to make the energy touch her stomach. Fear sprung into her mind, and she tried to run. But it was like she was glued to the ground; she couldn't move at all. Terror erupted in her chest as she fought against the invisible bonds that held her down. The ball of energy was getting awfully close to her skin. The man looked her directly in the eyes, and pure liquid agony sprung in her heart. It felt like she was about to be ripped in two. The man spoke, and his voice was gruff and full of seriousness. "This is for your own good."

The ball of energy touched her chest, and Calypso finally found her tongue. She screamed as loud as she could, and then a flash enveloped her, practically blinding her.

Then... silence.

Calypso slowly opened her eyes. The darkness had disappeared, and so had the man. Instead, she found herself in a familiar pine forest. With a flash of recognition, she realized it was the forest that surrounded the old lab. Had the mysterious man sent her home?

A sob made her turn around. Behind her, crouched in a nook of an old, twisted tree, was a young girl, clutching onto a small dragon plushie like it was the only protection left in the world. She looked absolutely terrified. Had the lab taken her from her parents? Fury grew in Calypso's chest. The scientists were still as cruel as ever. She reached down to soothe the girl, but she had gotten up already and was running for her life into the trees.

"Stop!" Calypso called. The forest held worse monsters then the lab did. What if the girl ran into one? She'd be slaughtered in an instant. She charged through the forest, fear building in her throat. Dodging a tree branch, she turned a corner and found herself in a big open clearing. In the middle of it was the girl, hunched over something. For a second Calypso wondered if the girl had gotten hurt, but when she stood up, she was holding something.

In her arms was a small baby exceed, looking like it had barely just hatched. It mewled pitifully as she stroked it's head gently, murmuring kind words to soothe it. A warm feeling burned in Calypso's chest as the exceed smiled meekly and curled up against the girl's chest. She watched as the girl walked back in the direction of the lab, a protective love glimmering in her eyes.

Suddenly a voice erupted from behind her. For a second, Calypso thought it was one of the scientists, but the voice was too familiar. What was it saying? "waaaaaaaaaakkeeeeeeuuu-"

" **WAKE UP!"**

Calypso jolted awake. She was lying on the ground with several familiar faces crowded above her. The blue exceed was munching on a fish (and getting fish juice all over his fur, ew) and Natsu was staring at her with squinted eyes as though she was an interesting new specimen of bug. Nisha and Soren were standing over her with a rag and a tub of water, watching her intently like their father.

Calypso groaned and raised her head. "Where am I?"

"You're in Granny Porlyusica's house." said Wendy in a quavery voice, like she had just lost ten years of her life. "You fell over and started screaming like you were dying, so Natsu picked you up and carted you here. Oh- Steele helped too."

"It's okay." the solemn mage muttered from a corner in the room.'

Most of the mages in the room had their worried eyes on her except Steele. He just stared at her with those mournful eyes as if it was completely normal for human beings to fall over in agony. She wondered if he had any human emotion beneath his skin.

"Porlyusica is out collecting herbs, but she'll be back soon. So until then, just relax and have some tea." said Carla, as though upsetting her would make her have a heart attack again. She gave her a cup of tea, and Calypso blew on it lightly before sipping it. It tasted like chamomile and mint, and made her feel all warm inside.

"So." proclaimed Nisha. "What exactly happened back there?

Everyone immediately looked at Calypso.

She took a breath in. "I honestly don't know. Nothing like that has ever happened to me since..." _Mom died._ She trailed off, unsure if she should tell them about the labs. If she told them...

"Well?" prompted Natsu, and she realized everyone was staring at her, waiting for her to speak up.

"I-It's never really happened before." she stammered. From the look he gave her, he definitely didn't believe her.

"Well," said Wendy, trying to break the tension "we should probably get a bit more acquainted! You already know me and Natsu..." she waved a hand at him. "And I can tell you've already been introduced to Soren and Nisha... and... um... Steele?" The mage in the corner grunted.

"The white exceed here is Carla, and the other exceed is Happy." The two cats floated down and landed beside Wendy. "Hi!" Said Happy, holding out his half-eaten fish. "Want the rest of my fish? Fish can cure anything!"

It was like Calypso's internal computer had had a glitch. Her vision clouded slightly, and a memory of Aaron floated in front of her eyes. His mouth was stuffed to the brim with raspberries, and he was smiling as the seeds and juice trickled down his cheeks and chin. _"Ra'erries can cue anyhing!"_ He exclaimed with a grin.

"Um, hello? Calypso? You still in there?"

Calypso blinked. She had drifted off again. The mages watched her patiently. "Um... no thanks." She mumbled. The cat's ears drooped, and he stepped aside. "Okay."

Soren stared at her subdued expression curiously before sitting down, as if knowing that pressuring her wouldn't get him any more info. Nisha, on the other hand, appeared quite excited to know what Calypso was hiding from them. "Did your family work for the Magic Council? Are they working on a top-secret mission? Wait"-her eyes began to sparkle with curiosity- "are they _spies?_ "

Calypso blinked. This was a tight corner she'd wound up in. She felt like she could trust them with the fact that her family was doing experiments on human beings. But if she did, there was no doubt in her mind that they would rally and charge on the lab. And she didn't want any more deaths on her conscious.

"Um, I- I came from an orphanage." she stammered. Nisha's being seemed to droop, like coming from an orphanage wasn't "cool" enough for her standards. "My mother died when I was young, and I never knew my father." That bit, at least, was true. Her mother had refused to tell her who exactly her father was, and even though Kronos had always referred to the head scientist as "Father", she got the feeling that it was just an honorary title.

"My brother ran the orphanage. He was nice to all the other orphans, but very cruel to me." That was... partially true. There wasn't really anybody else in their tiny family except their deceased mother and sister, so she wasn't exactly telling white lies.

"But at night, when my brother read to the other orphans, he'd tell them stories of mages from a special guild that were brave, kind, passionate people. They were strong and knew all sorts of magic. Some could even fly."

Now she had their attention. Natsu, Nisha and Wendy were all leaning forward like little kids listening to a storyteller, anticipating the next page. She took a deep breath.

"He said they were from Fairy Tail."

Now the words flowed from her like a river of half-truths. Lying seemed so easy now. "After I heard that, the only goal that I had in life was to join that guild, to become one of them. And to learn better magic. I never dreamed that I'd be rescued by Fairy Tail!" she laughed and looked at Nisha and Soren. The two young mages took an immediate interest in their feet.

Natsu smiled. "Well, if you want to join Fairy Tail, i don't see why not! Once we get you fixed up, we can go talk to the master and get you your guild mark!"

Genuine tears filled Calypso's vision. "Really?" she gasped. The dragonslayer nodded, a bright smile on his face. "No one's joined in quite a while, so I'm sure everyone will be pleased!"

A smile erupted on Calypso's face. Her childhood dream was really about to come true!

She was about to thank Natsu when the door to the hut opened, and a boy about Nisha and Soren's age strutted in with a friendly (and quite loud) "Hello!"

The boy had greyish-blue hair and was dressed in mostly grey and blue, with the exception of a fiery red button on his jacket. Even a colour-blind person could see the poor boy needed some more fashion sense.

"I just got back from the job! I gotta say, those monsters terrorizing the village were super weak! I bet even-" he broke off when he saw Calypso. For a second they stared at each other intensely. Then, a split second later, the boy was right at her side, smiling in a flashy sort of way. "Well, hello there Gorgeous." In the back, Calypso heard Natsu and Wendy facepalm.

At first she didn't know what to do. It was quite obvious he was flirting with her, but she'd never really been in a situation like this, so she didn't know how to react. Should she shove him, yell at him, or just stare at him in confusion and make things even more awkward? The third option seemed the best, but she didn't have to do anything. Steele did it for her.

A black and grey blur zipped through the air. Less then a heartbeat later, Storm was lying on the ground moaning. Standing over him was Steele, still with the solemn face etched on his features. Storm glared at him. "The heck was that for, Steele?" The older mage glared at him. "Weren't you supposed to watch my sister?" Storm snorted defiantly. "I told Happy to watch her."

Happy jumped. "Well, I told Nisha to watch her!"

Steele looked at Nisha, who had turned pale. "Oops..."

A breeze hit Calypso on the back. She yelped. Storm had shot up at light speed and had appeared directly behind her. He smirked in a flirty way. "Now then, where were we?" Natsu and Wendy fell over.

Nisha saved Calypso once again by delivering a roundhouse kick straight to Storm's face.

While the two mages fought, Calypso tried to regain her bearings. All of a sudden, Steele appeared beside her. She yelped. _These wizards pop up all over the place!_

The older mage stared at her seriously, then bent down and whispered in her ear. "I know you didn't really come from an orphanage."

Shock jolted through Calypso. She was completely numb. If he knew that, then how much else did he know? If he knew about the labs...

Seeing her distress, Steele smiled. "All I know is that you didn't come from an orphanage and that you brother is a complete asshole. Nothing more."

She still felt confused on how he knew about the lies. "I can read minds." the older mage whispered. "I'll stay out of your mind from now on, but if you ever want to know what that pervert Storm is thinking about you," he pointed a finger at the fighting, screaming mass. "I'm the one for the job." he then vanished again and proceeded to break up the fight.

Calypso smiled. He was nice, in an odd sort of way. But why had Wendy described him as a "they"?

A small throb pulsed in her chest. She barely had time to blink when enormous agony erupted in her chest. She fell to the floor screaming in pain. Shouts of surprise sounded around her and she passed out.

The next thing she knew, she was in the pine forest again. The girl she'd seen earlier was walking towards a giant white building. The lab, she realized with a jolt. The girl presented a card to the guards before walking in. Calypso ran after her. When she entered the lab, she immediately realized something was wrong. The girl glanced around before setting down the exceed in a small box covered with a blanket. A few seconds later, Kronos stormed around the corner. If this hadn't felt like a dream, Calypso would have jumped out of her skin. Instead, she stood and watched helplessly as the torture began.

Kronos yelled at the girl for a few minutes before grabbing her and pulling her down the hall towards a large door. Calypso saw the exceed poke it's head fearfully out of the box before ducking down again. She was ready to pat it's head when a high-pitched scream sliced the air. Quickly, she ran down the hall and through the white doors. What she saw took away the last bit of breath she had.

The girl was trapped in a see-through colander attached to a giant machine. The poor girl pounded on the glass as hard as she could with her tiny fists, but nothing happened. Electricity swirled at the bottom of the colander, and an animalistic scream cut the air. Calypso shut her eyes and covered her ears as the scream grew louder, and the light grew brighter-

"-LYPSO!"

She opened her eyes. The faces of the Fairy Tail mages were crowded around her once more, looking more concerned then ever. "It might be from her fever" Wendy fretted. "Or maybe an allergic reaction somehow...?" meanwhile Nisha and Storm were talking a million miles a minute, their previous fight forgotten. "Is it a stroke? Is it from some sort of power you have? What is it?"

If it had been any louder, she might have missed the breath that sounded from the front door. It sounded like someone had said "what."?

Then it came again, except a bit louder. "are."

"You." a whisper. Someone was definitely speaking.

"Doing." a mutter. She wasn't the only one who heard it now. Natsu turned and frowned, trying to locate the speaker.

"To. Everyone in the room fell silent. They were all aware of the voice.

"My!" an exclamation. Storm, Steele and Natsu went pale and backed away from the exit, as if an angry tiger was about to jump in.

"PATIENT!?" Soren leapt over and pulled Calypso away from the door. He landed over her body, as if shielding her, but athe same time put them both in a very awkward position.

Natsu and the other were pressed against the sides of the walls, sweat dripping down their face. In the middle of the room was an old woman, but it was clear that she was the boss. Pure fury was etched on her face as she stared down at poor Nisha, who's reflexes had been too slow to get away.

"H-hi, Porlyusica." squeaked Nisha, as though talking to her would calm her down. "Did you know your face is swelling up?"

 **Four hours later...**

The small group was on it's way back from Porlyusica's hut. Calypso had gotten an anti-infection treatment, some painful magical stitches and a lecture that if she was scarred for the rest of her life, that it was up to her to suck it up and deal with it. Then she'd kicked everybody out of the house and triple-locked the door.

Now she was walking towards Magnolia, supported by a human-form Carla. A very stoned Nisha followed, being carried by her brother. Natsu, Wendy, and Storm talked in front of them. Steele trailed in the back solemn as ever.

A million thoughts flew through Calypso's head. She had taken some time to think about the blackouts she'd been having, and she was beginning to think that they weren't blackouts at all, but flashbacks- pieces and remnants of old memories long forgotten. Or forced to forget.

The exceed had been Aaron.

And the child that had been tortured in the lab had been her.

 **One word: Goodnight TT-TT**


End file.
